2009 Honda Fit or 2009 Honda Civic?

My grandma is getting a new car. She has had a black 1995 jetta for years now. She wants to get a honda. What would you think would be good for an old lady? Should it not be a honda?

Both the Honda Fit and the Honda Civic are excellent choices. And both will be far more reliable than the Jetta. The 5-year Reliability Percentrank average of the 4-cylinder Jetta is.20, on a scale of 0.00 to 1.00, and the 5-year Reliability Percentrank average of the 4-cylinder turbo Jetta is.02, while the 5-year Reliability Percentrank average of the Honda Civic is.95, one of the highest. (The Honda Fit model is only a couple of years old and consequently lacks a Reliability Percentrank average.) For reference, Volkswagen's overall 5-year Reliability Percentrank average is.20, Honda's is.81, and Toyota's is.88.

Some of the distinctions of the Honda Civic are:

1. The Honda Civic is on Consumer Reports' 2008 list of the Best of the Best,

2. Several of the versions of the Honda Civic are on AutoOnInfo.net's list of the best models of 2008, based on reliability over the past 5 model years,

3. Several of the versions of the Honda Civic are on AutoOnInfo.net's list of the Automobiles with Best Engine Reliability, based on performance of 6-to-10-year-old vehicles.

4. Consumer Reports accords the Honda Civic its highest predicted short-term reliability rating.

More distinctions of the Honda Civics, as well as many of the specifications of the 2008 editions, may be found at:

http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/NAEd200806ProductInfoHondaCivicDXLXEXSedan.htm
http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/NAEd200806ProductInfoHondaCivicSiSedan.htm
http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/NAEd200806ProductInfoHondaCivicDXLXEXEXLCoupe.htm
http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/NAEd200806ProductInfoHondaCivicHybrid.htm

Some of the distinctions of the Honda Fit are:

1. For the past 2 years it has been AutoOnInfo.net's top pick among all vehicles.

2. It is on AutoOnInfo.net's list of the Best of 2008 (but based on only 1 year of data).

3. Consumer Reports accords the Honda Fit its highest predicted short-term reliability rating.

4. The cargo capacity of the Honda Fit is excellent.

One short-coming of Hondas generally is that their transmissions appear not to be as durable as those of Toyota (but they do far exceed the average). One modest shortcoming of the Fit is that gas mileage appears to vary considerably. My friend's wife's Fit sometimes attains an mpg well into the 40s on the highway, but in-city mileage is often in the low 30s.

You could start out by asking her what she wants in a car. I would personally go with the Civic based on a few things: First, it is more fuel efficient than the Fit while being larger AND more powerful than it.

Also, there's a lot more passenger volume in the civic, which means that if she's ever taking her friends on a drive (could happen!), they'll be much happier.

Additionally, the Civic has a lot more features and is an ultimately more upscale car than the Fit. It's probably a smoother, more comfortable ride. If your grandma gets the EX, there's some features that would be included that you'd never expect to find on an "economy car"(i.e. Leather/power seats, navigation, sunroof, etc) And, as a fellow answerer said, the seats can be adjusted in more ways than in the fit.

But overall, whichever she chooses, she can't go wrong. Just know that, although the Civic is more expensive upfront, it's--in my opinion--a better choice based on the simple reasons I stated above.

It is also a matter of size. The Fit is smaller and yes it does have a hatch. The space with the seats folded is huge. If she does not like the small size the civic is obviously larger. The gas mileage is very similar. The Civic does have adjustable height seats if she is a tiny person. The Fit has been out for over two years now and it is a typical Honda with very few problem issues.

Well, the 09 Fit just came out. Its a new model. The civic will change next year. The 09 VW Jetta with the diesel is a sweet car, and very economical. The Jetta is more refined than a Honda.

She doesn't need a civic, no offence but a fit has a hatch door so its easy to get groceries in and out, assuming thats what she does, they are small yet big enough for an older lady, easy to drive and comferterble